NFL Draft 2016: Latest Predictions and Rumors for Top Prospects

With a flurry of actual moves taking place before the draft this year, the NFL rumor mill seems surprisingly slow.

The need for smokescreens isn't as great when two teams have moved into the Nos. 1 and 2 spots with clear aims for quarterbacks. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are going to be the first two picks in some order. The suspense is all but gone. 

But behind the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are 29 more teams trying to settle into the new reality. Thursday's first round is going to bring more surprises, whether we hear inklings about them along the way or not.

Here's a quick look at some rumors floating around as well as a mock of how the draft could play out if things stick in the first round.

Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Los Angeles Rams	Jared Goff	QB	California
2	Philadelphia Eagles	Carson Wentz	QB	North Dakota St.
3	San Diego Chargers	Jalen Ramsey	DB	Florida State
4	Dallas Cowboys	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
6	Baltimore Ravens	Laremy Tunsil	OT	Ole Miss
7	San Francisco 49ers	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
8	Cleveland Browns	Ronnie Stanley	OT	Notre Dame
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Vernon Hargreaves III	CB	Florida
10	New York Giants	Noah Spence	DE	Eastern Kentucky
11	Chicago Bears	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
12	New Orleans Saints	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
13	Miami Dolphins	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
14	Oakland Raiders	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
15	Tennessee Titans	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
16	Detroit Lions	Jack Conklin	OT	Michigan State
17	Atlanta Falcons	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
18	Indianapolis Colts	Taylor Decker	OT	Ohio State
19	Buffalo Bills	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
20	New York Jets	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
21	Washington	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
22	Houston Texans	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
23	Minnesota Vikings	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
24	Cincinnati Bengals	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
25	Pittsburgh Steelers	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
26	Seattle Seahawks	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
27	Green Bay Packers	Reggie Ragland	ILB	Alabama
28	Kansas City Chiefs	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
29	Arizona Cardinals	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
30	Carolina Panthers	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
31	Denver Broncos	Paxton Lynch	QB	Memphis

Goff to Rams a "Done Deal"?

Since the Rams traded for the No. 1 pick, they've been earmarked for a quarterback. The question has just been which one. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Los Angeles was leaning toward Goff in the immediate aftermath of the deal. It appears, as usual, that Schefter's reporting was spot-on.

Jordan Raanan and Mark Eckel of NJ.com spoke to four executives around the league who expect the Rams to take Goff. It's a "done deal," according to one.

In many ways, it's a decision that makes sense. Goff is the safer of the two quarterback options. He arrived at Cal with the red carpet. He was a 4-star recruit when he came to Berkeley, and he left having showed as much toughness as any quarterback in the nation. Not many players could have survived Goff's freshman season, let alone come back and become one of the nation's best signal-callers.

Goff finished his career with 96 touchdowns against 30 interceptions, putting up 43 scores and 13 picks last season. He's steady. While there are questions about his arm strength compared to Wentz's, he has more than enough to make NFL throws. Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus looked at Goff's tape and came away impressed with his intermediate accuracy—the types of throws he'll make most often at the pro level.

Even if Goff winds up being Alex Smith, the floor of his potential is much higher than Wentz's—an almost unheralded prospect whose rise is unprecedented. Given all the Rams gave up to get to No. 1, they can't afford a bust here. Goff's the guy.

Paxton Lynch Under Consideration in Cleveland?

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

When the Browns traded out of the No. 2 pick, it appeared their quarterback chase was over. There were too many missing pieces on their roster, too many holes to fill, to go all-in on a franchise quarterback. Their investment in Robert Griffin III is minimal; he could take the hits in 2016 while the team puts an infrastructure in place. 

Apparently, that's not the case. Schefter reported that Memphis product Paxton Lynch was a "quarterback to watch." Lynch is widely expected to be a first-round pick, so the only options here are to take him at No. 8 or move back.

Taking Lynch at No. 8 would be the Brownsiest of Browns moves. Remember the last time the Browns moved around in the draft for a second-rate prospect? That was Johnny Manziel. Remember the time before that? That was Brandon Weeden.

If the Browns were dead set on a quarterback, it'd be a major mistake to trade back from No. 2. In fact, they probably should have traded up to No. 1 and picked Goff or Wentz. Taking Lynch, who is considered a project and someone who might never develop into an NFL starter, is asking for more pain.

The Browns don't need to fool around with their quarterback position in 2016. They need to put an infrastructure in place to ensure the actual franchise guy they take in 2017 won't be decapitated in the pocket. Start stitching the Deshaun Watson jerseys now and move on from this class.

Nos. 3-4 Picks Aren't Going Anywhere?

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

It is a historic anomaly when the first two picks of an NFL draft are traded. You have to go back all the way to 1983 for the last time that happened. In fact, the first five picks of that draft were not taken by the team originally slotted for them.

Could history repeat itself 33 years later? Not likely. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that reported talks surrounding the Nos. 3 and 4 picks have "cooled" since the Eagles moved up to No. 2. 

This shouldn't be much of a surprise. Teams are willing to mortgage future assets if they think a quarterback is a foundational piece. They're not willing to go to the same lengths for defensive backs, offensive linemen or defensive ends—the three positions most likely to be taken after Goff and Wentz are off the board.

It's unlikely to matter much here. Given what's going to be offered, there's little incentive for any team to move backward. The draft board couldn't have fallen any better for these teams. The Chargers, Cowboys, Jaguars and Ravens weren't in the market for a quarterback. They're now in an ideal scenario where they should get a player near the top of their board.